December 15, 2023, 11:00am
Today, the National Book Critics Circle announced the longlist for the Barrios Book in Translation Prize.
The prize, now in its second year, “celebrates the artistic merit of literature in translation in any genre and seeks to recognize the valuable work of translators in expanding and enriching American literary culture by bringing world literature to English-language readers.”
“We’re proud to announce our 2023 longlist, which reflects the grand span of this year’s books in translation in language, country of origin, genre and range of publishers,” said Mandana Chaffa, NBCC’s Vice President of the Barrios Book in Translation Prize, in a press release. “It’s especially gratifying to celebrate the translators, writers and publishing partners who expand our literary horizons and further our human connections, with books that provide many delights for Anglophone readers.”
Here’s the longlist:
Cold Nights of Childhood by Tezer Özlü, translated from Turkish by Maureen Freely (Transit Books)
Happy Stories, Mostly by Norman Erikson Pasaribu, translated from Indonesian by Tiffany Tsao (Feminist Press)
Indeterminate Inflorescence by Lee Seong-Bok, translated from Korean by Anton Hur (Sublunary Editions)
Our Philosopher by Gert Hofmann, translated from German by Eric Mace-Tessler (New York Review of Books)
Owlish by Dorothy Tse, translated from Chinese by Natascha Bruce (Graywolf Press)
Phantom Pain Wings by Kim Hyesoon, translated from Korean by Don Mee Choi (New Directions)
The End of August by Yu Miri, translated from Japanese by Morgan Giles (Riverhead)
The Last Pomegranate Tree, by Bachtyar Ali, translated from Kurdish by Kareem Abdulrahman (Archipelago Books)
The Love of Singular Men by Victor Heringer, translated from Portuguese by James Young (New Directions)
The Naked Tree by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, translated from Korean by Janet Hong (Drawn & Quarterly)
Vengeance is Mine by Marie N’Diaye, translated from French by Jordan Stump (Knopf)
Zakwato & Logledou’s Peril by Azo Vauguy, translated from Béte/French by Todd Fredson (Action Books)
The Barrios Book in Translation Prize’s shortlist will be announced in late January 2024 and voting for the prize winner—open to all NBCC members in good standing—will begin the following month. The winners of the Barrios Book in Translation Prize, which is awarded to both author and translator, will be announced at the NBCC Awards in March 2024 in New York City.